Letters to the Editor

Election letters

To the editor,

As a Republican state legislator, I was on the Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee when I first met Sheriff King several years ago. I have discussed legislation with him and more than once, asked for his input. I witnessed him provide
testimony for and against legislation. His testimony was always thoughtful and well received.

He is a fiscal conservative and spends taxpayer monies wisely and has always been cognizant of the impact his spending decisions have on the county budget.

The sheriff’s position carries much responsibility and I believe Sheriff King has the education, experience and dedication to continue to improve and lead the sheriff’s office. I support the candidate, not a political party and I urge everybody to join me and my family in voting for him this Election Day.

Donald Marean

Hollis

To the editor,

Joe Rafferty has done an excellent job at representing us in the Maine State Senate. In his long experience as a teacher and high school football coach in Kennebunk, Joe has proven himself to be a level-headed, no-nonsense leader and a man of integrity.

As a state senator he is an effective leader, playing a critical role in several education reforms, including a bill to bring more accountability and openness on school boards.

Joe keeps his focus on what is best for Maine’s working families and listens to the people of his district with sincerity and respect. He is the kind of person we need to represent us in Augusta. I urge you to re-elect Joe Rafferty.

Kevin Flynn

Kennebunk

To the editor,

I am writing this letter in support of Henry Ingwersen for the Maine State Senate. Henry is running to represent Biddeford, Arundel, Dayton, Lyman, and Hollis. Our communities would be well-served by Henry’s thoughtful and compassionate approach to governance.

During his time in the Maine House, representing Arundel, Henry led on issues impacting his constituents. For example, he jumped into action when he learned about an Arundel dairy farmer’s discovery of contamination from toxic PFAS chemicals. Henry didn’t hesitate to help this neighbor. He sprang into action.

We need a leader in Augusta like Henry who will fight for a prosperous economy, stand up for fully funding public education, and work with Republicans and Democrats to make life in Maine better for you and me. Henry has my vote and I hope he can earn yours, too, on Nov. 8.

Ryan Fecteau

Biddeford

To the editor,

I’m voting to re-elect Traci Gere to be our state representative. She has been an integral part of our community for 15 years, raising her family here and bringing her two sons through our public school system.

RSU 21 is part of the connective tissue of our community, and Traci has actively supported our schools in academics, sports, and the arts. She served on several RSU 21 committees, including the task force to balance elementary enrollment, several renovation planning committees, and the math curriculum review committee, volunteering her time to ensure we take care of our facilities and continue our record of excellence in education.

Traci has always made supporting our young people a priority. Traci spent many years working in the corporate world and also as a small business owner. She has been a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Kennebunkport Business Association, hosting Prelude and Launch! events at her store in Lower Village and supporting many local causes, from dance groups to sports teams to Girl Scout troops and fundraisers of all kinds.

She knows firsthand the important role that small businesses play in our community, as well as the challenges facing both owners and workers. She uses this experience to guide her decisions in the legislature. Traci has served us well as state representative for the past two years. Her longstanding commitment to our community demonstrates to me that we should elect her for two more years.

Tom McClain

Kennebunkport

To the editor,

With the approach of the Nov. 8 elections I’d like to encourage my fellow Kennebunk residents to pause for a moment before voting yes to accept Lobster Lane as a town road.

Over recent years, town government has received an increasing number of requests to assume responsibility for the upkeep of privately developed roads. And, in what has become an almost rubberstamp process, these roads are added to a growing sprawl of byways which tax the workloads of our public works and public safety departments. Our municipal budget must absorb the additional costs associated with year-round maintenance, signage, traffic safety, and winter snow removal. Increasing burdens on the municipal budget result in increased taxation or a loss of other vital services.

This last responsibility, snow removal, includes the routine treating of road surfaces to prevent icing. Keeping in mind that all road runoff finds its way into our bodies of water the fact that winter runoff includes the chemical formulations necessary to prevent icing makes treated roads exponentially problematic.

Lobster Lane was constructed within the Gooch’s Creek watershed and adjacent to previously mapped wetlands. Given the tidal nature of Gooch’s Creek all pollutants which enter the creek along its watershed are exported inland on the waters of Lake Brook into which it flows. Lake Brook is a pristine marshland often referred to as the jewel of the Kennebunks.

The runoff pollutants from Gooch’s also flow back to the Kennebunk River on a returning tide.

So, the routine wintertime treatment of Lobster Lane has the potential to impact the fragile ecosystems of surrounding wetlands, despoil Lake Brook, the last undeveloped salt marsh in the Kennebunks, and to add to the pollutants which flow down the Kennebunk River and are deposited onto our beaches.

From my perspective, the construction of Lobster Lane was questionable from the start. Let’s not compound our error by accepting Lobster Lane as a town road and including it in the list of wintertime treated town roads.

Patricia Sass Perry

Kennebunk

To the editor,

Life science jobs in Maine grew at the fastest pace of all New England states over the past decade and are the fastest growing field in the state. Biotech industries in Maine employ almost 10,000 workers in Maine; about 1,600 of these skilled, high paying jobs were added in just the last two years.

Day Sayre, candidate to represent District 135 in the Maine House of Representatives, has the background, experience and commitment to strengthen Maine’s economy and expand this growth into other fields in Maine’s tech and manufacturing sectors.

After 35 years in the publishing industry, Dan started New World Associates, a consultancy on education and training for skilled technical workers and engineers. He’s knowledgeable about issues facing our town and the state. I’ve worked with Dan on several committees in the last three years and am impressed by his ability to both lead and to collaborate. He’s a good listener and open to new ideas. Above all, he has the ability to look at complex issues from a systems perspective and develop practical, equitable solutions.

Expanding jobs in technology and manufacturing requires a well-educated work force. Rather than relying on attracting workers to the state, Dan will focus on educating Maine students for those jobs. He says, “We need to strengthen collaboration between our community colleges, already centers of innovation, state and local government, and employers.” Reaching out to established businesses and start-ups to understand what skills they are looking for is an essential step.

We also need more communication to K-12 students and their parents about successful careers “in the trades, technology, manufacturing, manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries, the arts, and many other fields.” College is not then only route to a prosperous future Multiple pathways such as two-year technical college programs, shorter training programs for specific jobs and apprenticeships provide equity of access for a diverse and skilled workforce. Dan will work to build off and strengthen existing programs.

Join me in voting for Dan Sayre. He will provide thoughtful and principled leadership to strengthen Maine’s economy and provide opportunities for our young people to build meaningful, well-paid careers in Maine.

Dr. Susan Walters

Kennebunk

Thank you businesses

To the editor,

A quick note of thanks to all the Kennebunk businesses who helped our town look so festive with a great collection of scarecrows. It has been so much fun driving and walking around and spotting them here, there and everywhere.